The discussion about how to make the sport of golf more TV-friendly has taken on a heightened importance ever since LIV Golf’s emergence as a direct competitor to the PGA Tour.
Those talks have taken many forms. From embracing some of golf’s many prominent social media influencers to creating an entirely new form factor to air the sport in a condensed primetime window like TGL has done, the sport is attempting to change with the times. But the core of professional golf’s problem still centers around one thing: getting fans to watch the PGA Tour.
In recent years, golf broadcasts have been among the fastest innovating of any sport on television; partly because of the pressure that LIV Golf and its cutting-edge production elements brought to the table, but also because there was acceptance that the product was getting stale and there were many ways to better engage fans. Some of these innovations include the proliferation of drone shots during broadcasts, on-course interviews with players during their rounds, and new graphics that enhance viewers’ understanding of what is happening on the course.
But one prominent PGA Tour player believes that more needs to be done and is urging his colleagues to help make that happen. In a memo obtained by The Athletic, PGA Tour player Justin Thomas addressed his fellow players about giving more access to the Tour’s television partners at CBS, NBC and ESPN to help enhance the product.
Justin Thomas just sent this memo to PGA Tour members, obtained by @TheAthletic, about the importance of players being open and accessible to the tour’s TV partners: NBC, CBS and ESPN.
“I’m sure many of us feel the telecasts can be better, so let’s help them do that.” pic.twitter.com/QnTgHrqPzb
— Gabby Herzig (@GabbyHerzig) January 21, 2025
“The more I think about it, the more I feel us giving more access and insight can make a WORLD of difference,” Thomas’s memo reads. “Things such as pre-round interviews, mid-round interviews, wearing a mic, communication of any equipment/swing changes you’re working on with broadcasters, etc. …the fans love those moments — hearing our thought processes, conversations with our caddies, our reactions to the shots, and understanding the ups and downs of competing at the highest level.”
Now, none of the things that Justin Thomas laid out here are exactly new innovations. LIV Golf has mic’d up the caddies for most of its existence and the PGA Tour has been doing “walk and talk” interviews mid-round for awhile now. But Thomas seems to think more of this is necessary to give fans a more entertaining product.
“I’m not asking anybody to be somebody they aren’t or change anything in their routine that would affect their performance,” Thomas continued. “Instead, just be open to possibilities and changes. …The more we work with NBC/CBS/ESPN, the more they should be able to work with us. I’m sure many of us feel the telecasts can be better, so let’s help them do that.”
